a problem with lack of tank and lack of CO2.

hey everyone.

so I have kegs but no CO2 tank (gotta wait for payday), but I kegged an imperial brown ale and borrowed a CO2 tank from a friend, hit it with enough CO2 to purge any air and let it sit. Well, the other day I was moving the keg and it tipped a bit and a few drops of beer spilled out around the lid. apparently I didn't either add enough pressure or there is a leak and and it appears air leaked back into my keg. (keg lids are not air tight without pressure from the inside right?)

How long do I have? I assume its already been about 3 days. maybe I will pull a sample when I get home and check it out. Also unfortunate, all my other fermenters/carboys are in use. so no transfer.

Thanks for the help!

Kyle

CO2 is heavier than air so if you didn't loose the CO2 when you tipped it (which I doubt you did) it should be fine. There should still be a layer of CO2 on top of the beer.

ok, cool, yeah, I wasnt so much worried about tipping as I was air diffusing into the keg. but the fact that it is a relatively decent seal and the CO2 being heavier (not to mention the, albeit small amount, of CO2 still being produced from the beer...thanks.

You may want to check your seal and possibly replace the ring. My kegs don't leak around the top even when there's no air pressure. During cleaning they sit upside down with cleanser in them, and nothing comes out then.

I wouldn't sweat it. The co2 simply absorbed into the beer, that's why you lost your seal. There aren't many used kegs that seal perfectly without the aid of some pressure. That's why it's recommended to hit it with at least 30 psi if your going to leave it off the co2. Your beer will be fine.

wildwest450 said:

I wouldn't sweat it. The co2 simply absorbed into the beer, that's why you lost your seal. There aren't many used kegs that seal perfectly without the aid of some pressure. That's why it's recommended to hit it with at least 30 psi if your going to leave it off the co2. Your beer will be fine.

Click to expand...

now the question is how long it can stay like that, I currently dont have the cash for a CO2 tank. I am going to cold crash it when I get home to slow down an oxidation and am pleading with my local homebrew group to let me borrow some CO2 to carb with.

and as always, thanks for your help everyone!

solved the problem. I had some dry ice (and yes, I have read the threads, and know the dangers), I added something about the size of a 1.25X the size of a marble and closed the hatch. I purged a few times till the bubbling noises slowed considerably, now I have some CO2 and no real threat of a keg bomb.

Prime in the keg, I do it all the time. Turn it upside down to make certain there are no leaks, pull the relief a little in a couple days, then wait for conditioning. Maybe you'll have some CO2 by then?